Clery Act review

UD in compliance with federal Clery Act

10:57 a.m., Jan. 23, 2012--The University of Delaware has been found to be in compliance with the Clery Act, which requires colleges and universities to release information about crime on and near their campuses, after a comprehensive review by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998 applies to all public and private institutions of higher education that participate in federal student aid programs and is enforced by DOE.

Understanding how to effectively address student alcohol use, especially the increasingly dangerous trends associated with binge drinking, has challenged virtually every educational institution across the country, including the University of Delaware.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, "UD was selected for review from a list of all institutions of higher education in the state of Delaware with sworn police departments," not in response to any complaints.

As part of the random evaluation, UD's campus crime and security publications were reviewed, along with police incident reports, arrest records, disciplinary files and policies, procedures and programs related to the Clery Act. In addition, campus crime statistics reported to the Department of Education were compared to those provided to students and employees in UD's annual security report. Several UD officials with Clery Act responsibilities also were interviewed.

“The University of Delaware is committed to providing the members of our community with the information required by the Clery Act, and we're very pleased to be found in compliance, ” Skip Homiak, executive director of campus and public safety at the University, said. “We want our students, faculty and staff to be armed with information that will help them make intelligent decisions about their personal safety.

“The all-encompassing review was a valuable process for us, enabling us to gain important external feedback on our procedures and to keep improving them.”

The DOE review, which took place in July 2010, coincided with a review from the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) audit unit. DOE and CJIS are partnering to ensure accurate reporting on America's college campuses.

The Clery Act is named in memory of Jeanne Clery, a 20-year-old freshman at Lehigh University who was murdered and sexually assaulted in her campus residence hall room in 1986. Her parents led the crusade to enact the original Campus Security Act in 1990, and Congress formally named the law in Ms. Clery's memory in 1998.